The End of Legal Marketing?

You can’t go one week without reading about the changes going on in the legal profession.  The recession has forced lawyers to re-examine how they run their careers and how to align with these changes.  While many of the articles discuss “Big Law”, many of the comments apply to all of us.

 

In “The End of Lawyers”, Richard Susskind envisions a radical change to the legal world in which, at least in part, legal services are commoditized, IT renders conventional legal advice redundant, clients and lawyers are collaborators under the one virtual roof, disputes are dominated by technology if not avoided in the first place, and online systems and services compete with lawyers in providing access to the law and to justice.

In “Life Without Lawyers”, Philip Howard argues that too much law suffocates rather than protects, and restricts rather than safeguards our freedoms. He argues that America's current climate of litigation strangles innovation, discovery, and human connection. Howard proposes concrete change: new structures outside the legal system to provide administration oversight and protection, new legal boundaries around reasonable risk, and new limitations on lawsuits.

 

In “The Death of Big Law”, Larry Ribstein notes that large law firms face unprecedented stress. Many have dissolved, gone bankrupt, or significantly downsized in recent years. His article, which can be found at http://hosted.law.wisc.edu/wordpress/lawreview/files/2010/08/1-Ribstein.pdf provides an economic analysis of the forces driving the downsizing of Big Law which reflects a precarious business model rather than just a shrinking economy. Several pressures have pushed the unraveling of these conditions, including increased global competition and the rise of in-house counsel. He also discusses new models that might replace Big Law.

 

So what does this all mean?  My take is that these seismic changes in service, delivery, and value will continue to accelerate and that firms that fail to adopt will be left behind. Even individual lawyers' life will change as a result of these social, economic, and technological trends. 

 

Ask any successful businessperson what they believe is the key to success and they’ll tell you “marketing” and “profitable customers.”  For lawyers who provide outstanding client service and results; become a trusted advisor rather than a transactional vendor; and where client feels they received more than a quid pro quo and was emotionally pleased with relationship, exciting new opportunities will emerge.